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Bungle over fire truck
It's being reported today that renovations to a fire station have not taken into considertion the size of the truck...
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25022173-661,00.html
FIREFIGHTERS at a station to be opened in Footscray this week will have to travel 11km to another suburb to use their truck because of a building bungle.
The only fire engine the station has with a ladder capable of reaching high-rise buildings cannot enter or leave its headquarters because it is too wide.
The vehicle was to be based at the newly renovated western suburbs station, which will open on Tuesday.
Instead, it will be stationed at Deer Park, up to a 25-minute drive away.
It seems someone forgot to measure the width of the truck - because the entrance is too narrow - before a $5 million-plus renovation of the Droop St station.
United Firefighters Union spokesman Greg Pargeter said the brigade was furious over the mix-up.
"What use is a fire station without a fire truck?" he said.
"If there wasn't a whole lot of public money spent on it and big risks to public safety, you could see it as some sort of comedy of errors."
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade's Strategic Location Plan states the ladder truck should be kept at Footscray to protect a nearby university and high-rise apartments.
Instead, two ground-level pumper trucks will be housed at the station until the MFB works out how to get the bigger truck inside.
MFB chief fire officer Tony Murphy said the Deer Park fire station had good freeway access to the north and west to get the ladder truck to Footscray if necessary.
"First-on-scene response times are not affected," he said.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25022173-661,00.html
FIREFIGHTERS at a station to be opened in Footscray this week will have to travel 11km to another suburb to use their truck because of a building bungle.
The only fire engine the station has with a ladder capable of reaching high-rise buildings cannot enter or leave its headquarters because it is too wide.
The vehicle was to be based at the newly renovated western suburbs station, which will open on Tuesday.
Instead, it will be stationed at Deer Park, up to a 25-minute drive away.
It seems someone forgot to measure the width of the truck - because the entrance is too narrow - before a $5 million-plus renovation of the Droop St station.
United Firefighters Union spokesman Greg Pargeter said the brigade was furious over the mix-up.
"What use is a fire station without a fire truck?" he said.
"If there wasn't a whole lot of public money spent on it and big risks to public safety, you could see it as some sort of comedy of errors."
The Metropolitan Fire Brigade's Strategic Location Plan states the ladder truck should be kept at Footscray to protect a nearby university and high-rise apartments.
Instead, two ground-level pumper trucks will be housed at the station until the MFB works out how to get the bigger truck inside.
MFB chief fire officer Tony Murphy said the Deer Park fire station had good freeway access to the north and west to get the ladder truck to Footscray if necessary.
"First-on-scene response times are not affected," he said.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Fire Chick on
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i see a lot og problems coming from this mistake... the def should have messured the truck before doing anything
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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Lutan
Reading the article and the Chief Officer's response, leads me to believe that this oversight was intentional and the truck was never slated to be assigned there by administration. Spending that kind of money and time... I know that when my station was built we (the firefighters) were in the place during the all phases of construction, many with a tape measure. Guys were measuring everything...
I find it hard to believe this was missed... or is this the firefighters speaking out about wanting a ladder truck at that specific location and tweaking the public about the money spent???
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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Many years ago this happened in a western NY combination department. The new aerial was ordered, and delivered; paraded down the streets; then backed into the firehouse.
Only then did they discover the house was about 4 feet too short to house the piece.
I think they just rearranged apparatus so that the truck was parked where it would fit.
Oooooops.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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A neighboring department did the same thing, only the bay doors weren't tall enough. Seems they measured a stick but bought a tower which was 8" taller.
As Homer Simpson says.... DOOOOOH
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Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on
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I know some departments will do this intentionally to force the issue of an addition or new station onto the tax payers. If the 1 million dollar ladder comes to town and won't fit in the building, the majority will do whatever needs to be done to fit it in.
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Permalink Reply by John Rulli Jr. on
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WOW! You would think someone would look @ the blueprints truck/station and see things didn't match up.
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